When I first came to The Stephen Center in 1995 I was facing two drug charges and I had six children that I had lost custody of.  I came from a very dysfunctional family who never cared about me.  I medicated my life with drugs and alcohol.  I had been in a couple of extremely abusive relationships.  I was physically, mentally and verbally abused.  I was a very wounded person physically and mentally.  I tried to hide the fact that I was hurt from my family and men.
            At this point in my life I didn’t know how to communicate well with others.  I only knew about drugs and alcohol.  I had no life skills.  Then I met a counselor named Margaret Evans.  She saw how I was struggling to comprehend things; she had me see a therapist, which I was badly in need of, once a week.  Margaret Evans was the first person in my life that I felt cared about my well being.  After spending 60 days in the HERO Program, Margaret told me she wanted me to go to Catholic Charities, complete their 30-day program and come back to The Stephen Center. The day I graduated was the day I was sentenced.  I was sentenced to three to five years in the penitentiary.  I called Margaret and told her that I couldn’t come back because I was going to prison.  We were both crying on the phone, she had worked so hard to help me learn about life.
            That was the first time in my life I began to learn that I didn’t need drugs or alcohol to live.  I knew that someone had heard my cries for help and that someone cared.
            After doing my prison time I ended back into trouble.  I lost my children to the state for the second time.  In May of 1998 I called Margaret while I was intoxicated and asked her if I could come into treatment.  Margaret told me to go to detox over the weekend and come in the following Monday.  This time in the program I met some more important people who helped me – Mike Johnson, Maggie Nocita and John Evans.  I confided in Mike Johnson a lot.  I would tell him that my brain was so damaged that I would never learn anything.  He always told me that things would get better and that sometimes it takes longer.  He encouraged me not to give up when I was trying to get my GED.
            I was so impressed by the friendliness and all the support from the new people in my life; I was learning to use my tools for recovery.  I learned how to live without drugs and alcohol, which was a miracle for me.  For once in my life, I began to feel hopeful.
            During one of the abusive relationships I was in, I had my lip split open. Margaret, Mike and Alison Dierks found a surgeon who agreed to do plastic surgery on my lip.  I have so much gratitude for each person that was a part of helping me with that.
            After graduating from the HERO program, I was sent to the Salvation Army for after care and housing.  I was impressed because they were also very supportive.
                        In March 2003 I came back to The Stephen Center.  My time was up at Salvation Army and I needed to find a place to live for my children and myself.  I had a hard time finding a place because of my felony conviction.  I was so stressed from being turned down from every place I applied that I contacted the one place that had always been there for me – The Stephen Center.  I called Mike Johnson and he had me talk to Sharon More who is the Transitional Living Director at The Stephen Center.  There was a house available big enough for my family and they welcomed me back with open arms.
Thanks to the programs and the people who cared about me, I received my GED and I am now a few months away from getting my associates degree in Chemical Dependency Counseling from Metropolitan Community College.
           

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